


Legendary

by Nandireya



Category: Voltron Legendary Defender
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-02
Updated: 2017-09-02
Packaged: 2018-12-22 20:21:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11974308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nandireya/pseuds/Nandireya
Summary: For Kallura Month 2017Days 1 and 2Moon Princess and Star KnightAfter freeing a planet from the Galra, Keith and Allura find themselves part of an impromptu retelling of a local folktale.





	Legendary

Allura smiled as the paladins celebrated with the locals. Another battle fought, another battle won. Another planet freed from the Galra.

Karauri was an odd place. The sun was small and pale, casting the land in an almost perpetual twilight. High, grass-covered peaks fell to broad tree-covered plains dotted with villages and fields of local produce, plant life adapted to the watery sunlight. There was no real technology to speak of. They had been an easy target for the Galra.

Lance was in his element, the gregarious boy in blue was sharing the highlights of their most recent exploits, spinning it to his favour of course, to a highly attentive audience. Pidge was joining in on occasion, correcting some oversight or adding a snide remark which Lance would counter or ignore completely.

Hunk was working with some of the locals to repair some piece of machinery that had been damaged in the battle. Allura wasn’t sure exactly what it was. It appeared to consist of a large wheel, attached to a solid stone structure, set under one of the many waterfalls that surrounded the village. The Karaurian were a simple farming people. She had to assume it was their crops the Galra had been after. Their warriors had to eat.

Keith was talking to the village elder. She could tell by his body language that he still wasn’t comfortable in his leadership role, he was still so new to it. But he was trying, and for some reason she found it incredibly endearing.

Of course, he wasn’t the only one adapting to a new role. She scratched aggressively at her hair, constantly shoving it up into her paladin helmet was taking its toll. She pulled out the fastenings that kept it in place and shook it free, letting in spill in a silver curtain around her shoulders.

“Ooooooohhhhhhh!”

She turned at the cooed chorus of awe, suddenly finding herself surround by diminutive, pre-pubescent Karaurian, all gazing up at her with large dark eyes. They were beaming and murmuring and closing in on her in a sea of dribbling noses and sticky fingers.

“Marama Rangatira!” They said, over and over, louder and louder, tiny hands reaching up to stroke her hair, to grip her limbs, to pull her down to their level for closer adoration. It didn't take long for her predicament to draw Keith and the elder’s attention.

“It would seem your fellow paladin is in need of rescuing.” The old one chuckled.

“Never let here hear you say that.” Keith retorted with a smirk.

“What are they calling me?” Allura asked as the pair approached.

The elder considered her question for a moment. “In your tongue…” he frowned, turning the phrase over in his head as he tried to find the right words “…I think it would translate to…moon princess…?” He didn’t sound entirely certain.

Several of the youngsters had turned as he spoke, murmuring and gesturing before a number of them broke off to surround Keith. Their chanting changing to ‘Whetu Kaiaka’. Both paladins looked to the elder.

“Star Knight.” He shrugged. Keith and Allura exchanged a glance as the youngsters continued to swarm around them, jabbering excitedly.

Putting his hands on his knees the elder lowered himself to be on a closer level to the little ones. “They are visitors to our world and do not know of Marama Rangatira and Whetu Kaiaka” He explained. “Perhaps we should tell them the tale, yes?”

The youngsters response was overwhelmingly positive as they began to position themselves on the ground before their elder, pulling Keith and Allura to sit amongst them. Allura was uncertain what to do as little hands grabbed at her, tugging her towards the ground. She looked to Keith for reassurance, but he simply shrugged and threw her a ‘just go with it’ look, as he folded his legs to settle himself amid the tiny, attentive, natives, unconcerned as one climbed into his lap. Allura frowned. How could someone so inexperienced in dealing with adults be so comfortable around their young?

“Are we all sitting comfortably?” The elder asked as Allura found herself a spot in the soft grass. “Then I shall begin.” He smiled as he found all eyes focused on his.

“Long ago…” He theatrically swept an arm over his audience. “When the world was young and the mountains had not yet risen to touch the sky, Ra Kingi…” he paused. “Who would play the part of the Sun King?” He asked the assembly.

Several arms were raised skyward, eyes begging to be chosen. One child, the largest amongst them, strode forward to stand beside their storyteller. He, at least the small one appeared to be male, held his arms in arcs on either side of his body to make himself appear larger and rounder. He puffed out his cheeks for good measure. There was a chorus of giggles from the other youngsters.

“Long ago…” The elder began again. “When the world was young and the mountains had not yet risen to touch the sky, Ra Kingi, the Sun King, ruled over all with a fist of iron.” The boy shook a fist threateningly and the audience shrunk away from him in mock terror.

“He made the people toil all through his long, long, time ruling the sky. There only respite was when the king himself grew tired and took time for his own rest.”

The boy stretched and yawned in an exaggerated manner before curling up on the ground. He stuck his thumb into his mouth and kicked a foot a few times like a canine lost in slumber. This was met with more giggles from the audience and, Allura noticed, brought an amused smirk to Keith’s face.

“Unbeknownst to the tyrant, while he slumbered the beautiful Marama Rangatira would appear in the sky to soothe the people with her gentle glow.” Several of the children around Allura began to push at her, taking her by the arms to encourage her forward. “Under her nocturnal guidance the people could rest and be renewed.” Allura looked around her as the children curled up, pretending to sleep peacefully.

“Fortunately for her, and the people, her path never crossed with Ra Kingi’s. The people knew if he was ever to become aware of her and the healing she offered them, all would be lost, so they decided to protect her. To hide her from his hateful gaze.”

The children rose up to form a living wall between Allura and the king’s child-sized stand-in, leaning from side to side as he tried to peer around them in order to glimpse what was on the other side.

“But Ra Kingi heard the whispering of his Cloud Warriors, because they alone could transverse the sky by day and by night, he heard them speak of the beauty who rose while he slept. He knew he held power only while the people bowed to him. He would not allow another to take them from him. He vowed to destroy this threat to him.”

The boy slammed his fist into his palm, his face a mask of cruel determination.

“So that day he only pretended to take his rest.” The boy lay down, covering his eyes with his arm, spreading his fingers so he could keep his eyes on what was going on. “And when Marama Rangatira appeared, he leapt from his bed to destroy her.”

He jumped around the wall of children to stand in front of Allura.

“She was blinded by his brightness, unaccustomed as she was to the full light of day.” The children around her pretended to flinch, covering their eyes with their arms, encouraging the princess to do the same. “But when he saw her, when he discovered her beauty…” the boy placed his hands over his heart. “…he found he could not harm her. So he decided instead that he must possess her and take her as his own.” The boy fell to blended knee, hands still clasped over his heart.

“But Marama Rangatira, being an excellent judge of character, drew back from him. She sensed his wickedness and wished to have nothing to do with him. Ra Kingi bristled. Who was she to say no to the king? He was bigger, he was stronger. She would be his whether she liked it or not.”

The boy lunged forward and grabbed Allura's arm.

“But he had not counted on Marama Rangatira having warriors of her own. Whetu Kaiaka, the bravest and strongest of her Star Warriors, stepped forward, and drew his mighty sword. ‘Unhand her, you fiend.’ He said. ‘Lest you-’”

“Wait, wait.” Keith said, interrupting the story as he drew his bayard. Holding it way above his head and away from the youngsters he let it take its fighting form. The elder chuckled at the paladin’s commitment to the story while the children gasped in awe at the weapon that appeared as if by magic before their eyes.

Igniting the bayard naturally caught the attention of the three remaining paladins. Fearing some kind of fight, the hastened to the seated crowd, hands on their own weapons, ready to defend their fledgling leader and newest team member.

“‘Unhand her, fiend.’” They exchanged a glance as the elder continued with his story. “‘Lest you taste my blade.’” They sat down at the back of the audience to listen in.

Keith got up onto his knees to move towards the boy who would be the sun king. He was still taller than him.

“Confident in his own strength, Ra Kingi laughed at Whetu Kaiaka, and eagerly met him in glorious battle. Marama Rangatira protected the people as the clash of Sun and Star began.”

“You do realise that a sun and a star are the same thing, right?” Pidge commented.

“The conflict raged all over.” The elder continued. “Tearing great rifts in the earth, pushing more up into the sky. But in the end, against all odds, Whetu Kaiaka was victorious. But before the final blow could be struck, Ra Kingi, who had been reduced to but a flickering ember of his former self, fled to the boarders of his former domain.” He gestured towards the pale and distant sun that was actually the centre of the solar system.

“Yes, Whetu Kaiaka had won, but at great cost. The battle had left him gravely wounded, badly burned by Ra Kingi’s fire.” Keith deactivated his bayard as several youngsters pulled him down to the grass.

“Ya gotta play dead.” One of them whispered to him. He lay back, rolled his head to one side and let his tongue loll out of the corner of his mouth. The kids around him let out an equal mixture of giggles and Euews.

“Nice dead.” Another youngster clarified.

“How can someone be dead nicely?” He asked, propping himself up on his elbows.

“Just pretend like yar asleeping.” One suggested.

“Okay.” He flopped back down and closed his eyes.

“And you guys call me a ham.” Lance rolled his eyes.

The elder waited patiently through the exchange, a slight smile on his face.

“Marama Rangatira was heartbroken.” He gestured with his head to indicate Allura should approach the nicely dead Keith. “She took him in her arms.” With a sigh, Allura did as she was bidden. Keith tried not to react as she worked her arms gently beneath him, he was supposed to be dead after all, and he knew she could easily handle his weight.

Allura grumbled under her breath. Keith wasn’t even trying to help her, and was that a ghost of a smile she saw on his lips? She pulled him into her lap and quested exactly how they’d come to be starring in this mythological reenactment. She supposed it was a worthwhile act of diplomacy. The children certainly seemed to be enjoying it. They watched her with brightly shining eyes as she hefted Keith’s dead weight slightly to properly cradle him. His head lolled slightly to rest against her shoulder, his eyes still closed, his face serene. He trusted her completely. And why did he fit so perfectly in her arms?

“She wept for her fallen warrior.” The elder went on. “And as her tears fell, they filled the rifts the combatants had torn in the earth to become our falls and our rivers, to fill our seas. They healed our world and they soothed Whetu Kaiaka burns.”

“Ya can wake up now.” The first child told Keith. “Ya not adead no more.”

He opened his eyes, a little startled at just how close Allura's face was to his own. Their eyes locked, each partly waiting for the story to continue, waiting for their cue as to what to do next in the impromptu little pantomime they’d somehow been roped into, partly hoping it never would.

“With Whetu Kaiaka restored they returned to the sky.” He gestured upwards to the planet’s little moon and to the brightest star which appeared to hover close by. “Marama Rangatira to watch over the people, and Whetu Kaiaka to watch over Ra Kingi to make sure he remains in his exile where he can never harm the people or his princess again.”

~~~~~~

“What’s all this, then?” Coran asked as they returned to the Castle.

Allura was clutching a pile of roughly-hewn paper, each decorated with childish renderings of two figures, one mostly pink with long pale hair, the other red with messy dark hair. Sometimes they were holding stick-figure hands, some featured the red figure protecting the pink one with a sword, there was one of the pink one cradling the red one in stick-figure arms, one featured the two leaning towards each other for a chaste kiss. That one caused a frown to wrinkle the elder Altean’s brow.

“The Karaurian elder told us a story.” Allura began. “Some sort of creation myth, really. Apparently Keith and I resemble two of the central figures.”

“They’re legendary!” Lance beamed, earning a withering glare from Keith.

“And at the banquet held afterwards the children presented us with these drawings.” She smiled. “It would have been rude not to accept them.”

“And they’re so cute.” Hunk enthused. “I think this one’s my favourite.” He picked one of the hand-holding ones.

“I like this one.” Pidge selected another.

“Well now I have to have one.” Lance said. “Give me one of the cranky sword-wielding ones.” He leaned towards Keith. “I’m all for realism in art.” He confided.

“Careful, Lance.” Pidge warned. “You don’t want to upset him…lest you taste his blade!” She thrust her hand dramatically in the air.

“Oh, shut up.” Keith intoned, but there was no anger in it.

“Do you want one?” Allura asked as the trio headed off towards their quarters.

“What’s left?” Keith frowned.

“More of the same.” She admitted. “Or, there’s these two…”

She held the two unique drawings, the cradling one and the kiss. They raised their eyes from the innocent but somehow intimate renderings to look at each other. Coran’s eyes flickered from one to the other, his frown deepening.

“Uh…why don’t you pick first?” Keith suggested.

Allura looked from one to the other.

“This one is so cute.” She said finally, handing the other to Keith. He looked down at the picture in his hand, then at Allura’s back as she trailed the others. Coran stretched his neck to see which piece of naive art the princess had left him with. His eyebrows rose.

She had taken the kiss.

“Hmmmmm.” He murmured thoughtfully.


End file.
